Taipei Times
Date: Sep 10, 2015
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter
The annual Han Kuang military exercises continued yesterday, with combined naval and air
Tsai Lien-hui, commander of the military’s Joint Operations Training Base Command in Pingtung County, yesterday talks to local residents who want the command to pay attention to soil and water conservation. Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
force combat maneuvers held off the east coast, and a simulation of the defense of Taichung Harbor from a Chinese attack.
However, live-fire drills and troop movements at a major armed forces base in southern Taiwan met with the protests of local residents.
The protest in southern Taiwan is part of a long-running feud between local residents and the military over the activities of the Joint Operations Training Base Command, which is in Pingtung County’s Checheng Township (車城).
Led by county councilors and township elected officials, more than 200 residents gathered at the entrance of the base yesterday morning and attempted to enter.
The residents wanted to stop the military exercise and the live-fire drills, because they said the noise and the concussive shocks from artillery bombardments have damaged nearby houses and severely affected their living environment. [FULL STORY]
